Despite his strong desire to attend university, a teen foregoes it in order to be by his grandmother’s side during her final days. Finally, he is rewarded for his good deed with something unexpected.
Kyle’s face was filled with contentment as his grandmother, Ruth, retired for the night. Kyle had been afraid of leaving her alone since her cancer diagnosis. The doctor had said she only had a year if he took good care of her. Kyle was giving everything he had. He really was.
“Ting!” his phone rang with a message notification. He sank heavily into bed, staring at the ceiling for a while. He tried to sleep by closing his eyes, but it didn’t work.
He finally checked the message. Clara, his girlfriend, sent it. “Hey, babe. How is Gran Ruth doing? I’ll be there this weekend. Would you like me to get something for her?” read the message.
“Nah, it’s all good. She’s okay. See you,” he replied, and turned off the phone.
Kyle was alone with his thoughts once more, and he couldn’t help but think about how his life had taken an unexpected turn…
Kyle was consistently a top student. Academically gifted, athletically gifted, and an extremely hardworking adolescent. His Gran Ruth had raised him since he was ten years old after his parents died in a car accident, and she had always taught him to work hard, which he did.
Kyle excelled in his classes and gave his all in everything to see Ruth’s proud smile. But, as time passed, many things changed.
Ruth’s health began to fail shortly after Kyle was offered a scholarship to his dream university. To say Kyle had worked long and hard on his admission would be an understatement. He’d poured his sweat, blood, and tears into it. But he gave up everything to be near his grandmother.
“Oh! Don’t be stupid, boy! I’m not going anywhere! Did you forget I’m the iron lady who raised you?” Ruth said with a weak smile. “Live your life, Kyle. Don’t worry about me!”
The doctor exhaled a sigh. “Could you please excuse us for a moment, Mrs. Lester? I’d like to talk to Kyle in private,” he stated.
Ruth reluctantly left the room, and it was then that the doctor informed Kyle of the bad news. “See, Kyle, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. At this point, there is little chance that the treatment will be effective. A year is all she’s got. If I were you, I would strive to make the most of her final days.”
The blessings of our grandparents have enormous power.
Kyle’s face was pale as he exited the room, and Ruth realized immediately that something was wrong.
“Send me to a nursing home if I am becoming trouble!” she said stiffly. “I don’t want my child to give up on his life because of me! Did you hear that?”
“Gran…” said Kyle sadly. “It’s okay. I have to be there for you. I can’t just leave you like that.”
“I am not talking about those expensive nursing homes. You know there are some cheap ones too! Send me there! That’s it!” As if she hadn’t heard anything Kyle said, she said.
Kyle sobbed and embraced her. “I’ve got the rest of my life to do whatever I want, Gran. The doctor said a year is all you have! I want to be there for you… Till your last breath!”
Kyle eventually gave up his dream university for Ruth, while his high school rival, Toby, who was always jealous of him, was accepted. Toby desired everything Kyle possessed. He even wanted Clara to date him, but she was never interested in Toby, which was fortunate for Kyle.
Kyle fell asleep quickly that night and awoke the next morning to the grating sound of the alarm clock. He washed his face before going to check on Ruth. Fortunately, she was sleeping soundly, so he left her alone.
He made her breakfast and left a post-it note on the dining table. “Leaving for work, Gran. Will be home soon. I’ve asked Mrs. Murphy to look after you.”
Kyle began working as a cleaner at a local hotel after foregoing his dreams and a much-desired course in business management. He needed to support them, and that was the only job he could get without a college diploma.
Kyle spent his days working and coming home to Ruth, feeding her, making her bed, and waiting for her to fall asleep. Then he’d watch something on Netflix and text Clara to inquire about her university studies. She and Toby attended the same university, and Kyle worried that she would leave him for Toby.
Clara, on the other hand, would never love anyone the way she loved Kyle. That weekend, she paid Ruth a visit and spent time with Kyle. She promised him she’d try to pay Ruth more visits.
Months passed. Kyle took excellent care of Ruth until she died peacefully in her sleep. He handled her funeral arrangements and bid her farewell. . “I will miss you, Gran,” he sobbed.
He had no idea that years later he would be standing next to her grave as the proud owner of a 5-star hotel…
Following Ruth’s death, her house was given to him. Kyle would never have thought about turning it into a hotel if Clara hadn’t suggested it.
“I have a degree in business, babe. We could put that to use. I think we should give it a shot. What do you think?”
Kyle was intrigued by the concept. He began working on it by doing his own house repairs, but things were not going as planned. That’s when Clara’s father stepped in. Kyle received a loan from him in order to pay for contractors and other services.
The hotel was finally ready after two years of hard work. The company started slowly, but it eventually took off. Kyle recalls Ruth’s proud smile as he stands in the foyer of his now-5-star hotel.
His and Clara’s efforts
“Thank you, Gran,” he tells Ruth every time he visits her grave. “Without your love, I wouldn’t be here.”